1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an impact buffer for fitting to a loading ramp, having a retaining part for fitting to the loading ramp, having a stop part for a vehicle to be loaded at the loading ramp to strike, and having a buffer part for cushioning a movement by the stop part against the retaining part.
2. Description of the Related Art
When loading and unloading trucks at loading ramps and the like, the truck must drive up close to the loading ramp without damaging the latter. It is therefore known to fit loading ramps with impact buffers that the truck can strike. The impact buffers must cushion the impact of the truck such that the truck is not damaged. Since the number of loading events at such loading ramps is often very, very high, such impact buffers are subject to relatively high wear.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,633 A discloses an impact buffer having two shells that are open on one side and whose interior is filled with resilient material. Two cross-members arranged above one another that may move in longitudinal holes across a limited segment prevent the stop part of the impact buffer that assumes the impact load from falling out of a retaining part of the impact buffer that is fitted to the loading ramp. In one alternative design it is prevented from falling out with lateral, vertical lips on the two shells.
EP 1 182 155 A discloses an impact buffer for fitting to loading ramps, dock levelers, and the like, having the following components: a first, sectionally C-profile-shaped, vertically extending part made of hard, impact-resistant material, a second, sectionally hat-profile-shaped, vertically extending part made of hard, impact-resistant material, the lateral flanges of which are arranged in the first part adjacent to its side flanges, and the bars of which extend out of the first part, and a core arranged inside the first and second parts that is made of an elastically deformable damping material, wherein either the first or the second part may be arranged stationary and the other part that absorbs the impact load is movable in the bar direction relative to the part that may be arranged stationary, and wherein the other part that absorbs the impact load is arranged such that it may be moved up and down relative to the part that may be arranged stationary.
The underlying object of the invention is to create an impact buffer of the type specified in the foregoing that has a longer service life compared to known impact buffers.